Taming Her Temper
by bittersweet bliss
Summary: When she was a genin, nobody would have used the words "Sakura" and "spitfire" in the same sentence. But a few years later as a jounin, that's exactly what she is. So where'd she get the temper?


_Chapter 1_

"No," the blonde sighed in exasperation, grabbing her tutee's wrists and pulling them away from the dead fish. "You're exerting too little pressure with your chakra. How many times have I told you this?"

Her bottom lip quivered, but she was clenching her jaw. "I'm sorry, shishou." The girl's arms had fallen limply to her side, much like the salmon laying on the medical table, mouth agape. It had squirmed slightly to life (if you could call it that) under Sakura's ministrations, but was now absolutely dead, laying slack.

Tsunade _tsk_ed, gazing grimly at her student. It'd been almost two years since she'd picked the pink-haired brat up from her pleading position on her knees. Sure, Sakura had made progress, but at this rate, she wouldn't make it into the shinobi division of the hospital for another few years.

The entire situation was really a conundrum. The girl got perfect scores on the written exams she gave, could recite perfectly the maneuvers and procedures back to her at any time of any day, understood the theories and practices beyond even ANBU medic-nin level, yet her _performance_... Tsunade's brows creased.

"Is something holding you back, Sakura?"

The addressed kunoichi stiffened, something the Hokage did not fail to take note of. "No, shishou." The medic-in-training answered stony.

Though unconvinced, Tsunade decided not to pursue it. "Alright. You're dismissed. Scram!" She flicked her wrist impatiently at the door, which slipped shut a few seconds later with a faint click.

As enigmatic as Sakura seemed to be, Tsunade knew she was a nut waiting to be cracked. Every so often, the blonde could feel, practically _see_, tendrils of chakra curling out of her student, only to be pulled immediately back into its container. Sakura was _definitely _holding something back. But _what_? And even if she knew what it was that Sakura was hiding, _how _would she go about drawing it out?

_Think in steps, girl. _

Falling into her seat, she laid her elbows on her desk top. Pressing her fingers together, she rested her chin on her thumbs, tapping the bridge of her nose with her pointer fingers. First, she needed to figure out what skeletons Sakura was hiding in her closet.

She knew the perfect person for that.

"Shizune, send somebody to retrieve that blonde girl that Sakura hates."

* * *

Looking at the kunoichi standing in front of her, Tsunade was reminded rather unpleasantly of her own days as a chuunin in Konoha. The hokage's eyes glowered over the platinum blonde's figure and hair before glancing momentarily at the heaven's, disgruntled. So _this _was Sakura's rival. Well, as long as Sakura was under her wing, Ino was no threat to the pinkette. _Big breasts are only half the battle_, Tsunade groused, hefting her own into a more comfortable position before clearing her throat and addressing the shinobi in her presence.

"I'm aware you have knowledge about Sakura that I need. Have a seat." Ino obeyed without hesitation, sitting primly and properly. "You battled Sakura during the chuunin exams, didn't you?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Tell me about your technique."

As if catching on, Ino's eyes narrowed. "I used a mind-transfer technique." Her voice was deceptively casual, but her added question blew her cover. "Why?"

Elbows on her desk and fingers laced together, the Sannin rested her chin on her hands. "Did anything _interesting _happen?"

A small smile tugged at the corner of Ino's lip. Tsunade smirked, pleased that the girl understood. "_Interesting_ is an understatement. I don't think there's anybody else _quite _like our little Sakura-chan." Ino raised her eyebrows as she adjusted her violet skirt, crossing her legs and getting comfortable. This was going to be a long conversation, after all. "What do you want to know?"

Ino's narrowed eyes and sly smile were uncannily similar to a salesman making a deal, which didn't sit well with Tsunade. Pulling out a bottle of sake and two small glasses, she pulsed a bit of chakra through the jug to warm up the contents before pouring equal amounts for both of them. "What did you find in Sakura?"

The blank grey eyes were momentarily contemplative. "Another entity. Made of chakra. She was a very solid chakra form." Her brows furrowed. "Like a container."

_I guessed as much_. "You said 'she'?"

"That was the strange thing," Ino mused, swallowing the alcohol and exhaling at the burn. "She was like a separate identity. Everything Sakura isn't. Rude, violent... I didn't experience it, but I'd hazard a guess at crude, too, probably." Hastily, she added, "she looked exactly like Sakura, but a shadow."

"How did this come about?"

The chuunin decked in purple and fishnet shrugged. "I just got into her head. Tried to take control of her bodily functions. She wouldn't let me. There was a power struggle, and she won." Ino frowned, not liking the idea of her mind-jutsu failing.

The Hokage _hmm_ed, turning her shot glass with her fingers on the rim. "So it was a matter of control?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

Exhaling, Tsunade fell back into her seat, pondering the anomaly that was Haruno Sakura. "Did it seem like Sakura was holding back?"

Ino furrowed her eyebrows again, clearly confused. "At the start of the fight, yes. But that's nothing new. Sakura's always holding back." Tsunade raised her eyebrows. "But her shadow-thing wasn't holding back." The platinum-blonde smiled sourly, remembering the unpleasant experience. "_She_ was _crazy_. Batshit insane."

"Is there anything else I should know?"

The sun was beginning to set outside, casting an orange glow over the sparsely furnished office. Silence infiltrated the room until Ino spoke up, sounding dubious. "If you're planning on luring that thing out," she crossed her arms. "You better have several back-up plans. Sakura is stubborn."

"Is there anything else I should know that I don't already know?" The medic asked testily, shooting a pointed look at Ino, who returned it with matching ire.

"Once she comes out, there's no turning back. You'll have created a monster," her joke was light, but her eyes were serious.

Tsunade smiled knowingly. "That's exactly what I want." The empty shot glass she'd been rolling between her hands crumbled into fine dust. Ino's mouth was a thin, straight line. "You're dismissed."

Ino nodded, getting up from her seat and making her way to the door. She came to an abrupt halt when her hand met the doorknob. "I'll tell Kakashi-sensei you asked for him."

"Thank you," Tsunade's grin widened. Oh yes, Ino reminded her of her chuunin days. Very talented, incredibly charming, and equally as cunning.

* * *

"_You're late_," the Hokage ground out between her teeth, glaring daggers at the lazy jounin standing a few feet from her bureau.

"Am I?" He mustered up the care to look semi-alarmed. "I wasn't told a specific time to see you."

"Ino asked you _yesterday_."

"I wasn't told a time." He repeated; his thumb was still caught between pages 138 and 139, bookmarking the text he'd been reading. The bastard.

"Unless otherwise stated, addressees are meant to appear _immediately_."

"Ah, well, I thought you were just inviting me over to celebrate my recent mission success with some sake, but I'd already taken the liberty of going out on my own, so-"

"Can it, Hatake. I have a new mission for you." His ears immediately perked, reminding Tsunade eerily of his canine crew. "A domestic mission." The silver-haired nin's interest flatlined, and he seemed ready to shake out his novel and dig into the captivating charm of Junko again.

And Tsunade understood perfectly. She was dying to get out of the village and kick some ass just as badly as the next shinobi, but the elders would throw a fit if she left anytime soon- but only because of all the paperwork she'd leave behind. "Don't worry, it'll be interesting.

Kakashi looked at her skeptically.

"It's regarding Sakura."

His skeptical look intensified.

"Don't look at me like that, you dog." The insult bounced right off his exterior. In fact, instead of looking offended, he almost looked _pleased_. "There's been an interesting turn of events." Tossing him a scroll, she waited for him to open it and scan through. There were no signs of surprise on his face as his eye roved over the script, and when he reached the end, the paper curled neatly back into itself. He still looked absolutely bored. Or maybe that was because she could only see his one eye.

"You think I can do it?" The Sharingan user queried, cocking his head.

Rolling her eyes, Tsunade pointed to the door. "Now is not the time to be humble, Hatake. Make sure Sakura doesn't hear about anything in this scroll. Now get out and go."

Pasting a downtrodden look onto his face, Kakashi turned to leave, sighing out wearily that "it was so hard to get any respect these days."

"Do this for me and I'll give you the pay you need for that collector's, limited edition, platinum copy of-"

She need say no more. He left the room with a bit more pep in his step.

* * *

Sakura had been walking down the vending street alone when Kakashi suddenly fell into step beside her from a discrete alleyway. She gave a start, jostling the unsuspecting couple passing by her. Apologizing profusely, she shot her ex-sensei a dirty look.

"Nice to see you, too," he commented amicably.

Dusting herself off, Sakura smiled more kindly at Kakashi. "What brings you here, sensei?"

He sighed, eyelid drooping. "I've been needing a training partner, and-"

Giggling, Sakura placed a porcelain vase she'd been examining back onto the stand she'd taken it from. "I've already gotten wind of what's going on, sensei. A messenger stopped by to tell me about Tsunade wanting me to train more. You don't need to lie."

"Ah, well, if that's the case." He popped open his book, and Sakura cringed. Ugh, just the thought of his little porn book made her shudder.

_You know you're dying to check it out._

_Not you again_, Sakura groaned internally.

There was an echo of wicked giggling. _You know I'll never leave! _The laughter stopped abruptly. _Because you'll never let me out. _Acute anger sizzled through Sakura.

_It's better this way_, the pinkette answered stoically.

_Fuck you_, her Inner spat back before returning to the dark corner of Sakura's mind.

"-kura? Sakura?" Kakashi had taken reprieve from his novel to wave a hand in front of Sakura's increasingly darkening face. It occurred to her that she must have _really _zoned out if Kakashi had taken the time to tear his eye off his novel to break her out of her reverie.

Sheepishly, she grinned. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I was telling you to meet me at the diner across from Ichiraku tomorrow morning at 9. Don't be late," his eye curved and Sakura rolled her own pair.

"Speak for yourself!" But he never heard her, having already disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Sighing, Sakura walked the rest of the distance to her apartment alone.

* * *

She'd been waiting for 30 minutes at the table, alone, nervously drinking and refilling her cup of tea before Kakashi finally stepped through the doors. Much to Sakura's vexation, he failed to explain his tardiness.

_Why do I care?_ She thought to herself morosely. _He's always been this way._

Her Inner scoffed. _You care because friends aren't supposed to be this way._

_Friends? Kakashi and I are hardly friends_, Sakura mused back dryly.

_Well some part of you seems to want it. Or care about whatever relationship you two have. _Her shadow's smile was tepid. _And whatever that feeling is, his lateness annoys it._

_You make no sense._

_And you never speak your mind. _A split-second later, she added bitterly, _except to me_.

_Shut up._

_Whatever, whatever, whatever... _her other identity waved a hand around as it faded to a wisp, receding back into darkness.

Outside the barricade of her mind, Kakashi was sitting comfortable reading, having already ordered what Sakura would barely consider a meal. It struck her that if they were _training_, they should have met at the training grounds...

"Aren't we supposed to be... training?" Fingernails tapped tirelessly against the glossy wooden table as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Consider this the intro," Kakashi answered with ease, tucking his book into his vest and sliding his hands into his pockets as he slouched against the vinyl backing of the booth seat. The girl across from him pursed her lips lightly before donning her neutral expression. "So," his hands reached for his cooling cup of tea, which he had no intention of actually drinking. He just needed something in his hands. "Tell me about your hobbies."

Sakura's eyes widened slightly before narrowing significantly. Fiddling with the zipper of her thin vest, which was closed all the way to the top, she shrugged. "Healing. I spend most of my time in the hospital. I'm really not that interesting, I'm sure you could figure out everything about me in just an hour. Or a few minutes, given that you could easily steal my records."

Her methodical answer was surprising, considering that the first time he'd asked the question, her only answers had consisted of Sasuke's name. "_Everything?_" His eye creased. He'd always enjoyed toying with her, for the sole purpose of seeing her flustered reaction. "Is that a challenge?"

She caught onto his suggestive tone and spluttered indignantly, burning bright red. "I- what- _no_- that's not what I meant and you know it!" He could practically see the fury crackling through each strand of hair. "You _pervert_!"

_Mmmm, I'd love to see if he could walk the walk_, her Inner's voice was distant, and Sakura mentally swatted it away.

"Not a pervert, Sakura," he held up a hand. "I just enjoy a good challenge."

They traded looks, hers completely perturbed, his pleasant and unassuming. "That doesn't even make sense, Kakashi. Oh, nevermind! Next question, _please_."

At that moment, his order came, and in a soft gust of wind, it was gone. Eyes wide, Kakashi smiled, threw down a bill, and then lifted himself from the seat. "I think we're done here. Let's go to the training field. I have a test for you."

Groaning, Sakura followed him out. "This had better not be that stupid bell test of yours."

"No. Much better."

"Oh?"

"We'll spar."

"_You _against _me_?" She was trying not to splutter and failing miserably. "That's not what I'd call fair-"

"You've had two years with the Hokage, who just so happens to be a member of the Sannin. It's completely fair."

"_You_ have the Sharingan!" She retorted.

"Fine, I won't use it." This shut her up, but he could still feel her unease. Was she expecting to lose? Did she really have such little faith in her skill? Something about that completely repelled Kakashi. "Alright. I'll give you a five second start." He stopped on the dirt ground, nose in his book. When he looked up five seconds later, she was still there, drawing circles with the point of her sandal.

Sighing, Kakashi got up. "Sakura, you have to at least try. I'm surprised that you would have such little faith in your own growth." She was avoiding his eyes, looking shamed. "Tsunade must have accepted you under her tutelage for a reason."

Finally, the girl's eyes met his, looking sad and uncertain. She lifted her right arm, squeezing her other bicep, looking vulnerable. "I know, Kakashi, and thank you, but..."

* * *

Sakura crouched idly in the brush many feet behind Kakashi. She had a clear view of her clone, waiting for the sign for her to attack. Her green eyes watched carefully for that squeeze-

_There we go_.

Leaping silently from the foliage, she extended her leg to catch Kakashi by his shoulder, only to have him grab her ankle and twist, sending her face towards the dirt. Placing her weight to her hands, she landed with her palms on the floor, countering Kakashi's trick with her own. Snapping her legs up and out, Kakashi was lifted off the ground. He released her ankle, flipping to a neat stop across the field from her. She pulled herself up from her backbend as well, brushing the dust off her gloves.

"Good. But not impressive."

"Good thing I'm not here to impress," Sakura responded coolly, jumping into the forest behind her. She settled onto a tree branch to gauge her surroundings. A second later, she caught a shuriken between her thumb and forefinger, sticking it into her own pouch for later use. Swinging onto the ground gently, she began to systematically divide the training ground into quartiles, mapping out the major hiding spots and practical ambush areas.

_Knowing Kakashi, he's not one to jump into the fray. Then again, there's only two of us, so somebody will have to make a move. _Sourly, she thought, _that's probably going to have to be me_.

_Or meeeee_, her inside cooed without warning. _I'll shock all the fight out of his system. It'll be easy. I'll try not to kill him_, she assured drolly.

_You'd be a savage on the battlefield! _Sakura exclaimed to herself, not amused in the slightest.

The whimsical facade her mind carried vanished. _Some people call that power, _her inner drawled coolly.

_This is my battle- I'll beat Kakashi on my own. Just let me handle this myself. _Launching an explosive tag at a tree in a strategic area across from her, she caught the faint cast of silver hair. Dashing after it, she sent chakra to her fingers, feeling it pulse as she slammed her hand into the ground. The earth split into large chunks in an eight foot radius beneath her feet, shaking the surface and rattling the trees. But it wasn't enough to deal any damage to any possible humans around her. _You wouldn't have any clue how to do this. Just let me. _

_But Sakura_, the voice said softly. _I _am _you._

Her jaw clenched. _You are not. You will never be me. _

Her mind couldn't reply- just as she'd opened her mouth, Sakura had registered the chakra coming from below her, and she leapt up, only to have Kakashi appear from above. She blocked his attacks mid-air, sliding back into the dirt as they landed. When she landed a chakra-filled punch, the clone vanished, a log falling in its stead.

"Yo."

* * *

Without looking, she swung a kunai back. Kakashi leaned away to avoid it, grabbing her wrist and twisting hard. The kunai was at her own throat.

_Hm, too easy_. To say he was rather disappointed would be sugarcoating it. Something about Sakura's fighting was so... _average_. So delicate. And meek. If Hinata's fighting style reflected her personality (fortunately, it didn't), Kakashi had the feeling it would look exactly like Sakura's right now. Princess-y.

In the span of 10 minutes, he had easily mapped out Sakura's technique without breaking a sweat. _How boring_. Predictable and trite, nothing really stood out about what she did. Perhaps she was trying her hardest (he seriously hoped not, otherwise she would be a lost cause), but it seemed to him as if she was trying to play it safe.

_Worst quality for a shinobi_.

Sakura wrenched her arm out of his grasp, sending a blow to his gut, which he easily evaded. Five minutes of simple punching and blocking, kicking and countering must have gone on before Kakashi came to an abrupt halt. The way Sakura's body lunged forward, expecting a block to her punch only to shoot out past him, would have been comical, if not for the seriously disappointed look in Kakashi's eye.

"Sakura, are you even _trying_?"

Miffed, she couldn't keep the offended note out of her voice. "What does _that _mean?"

His visible eyebrow creased. "You've definitely improved since being under my tutelage. There's no doubting your increase in chakra control and focus." Sakura began to beam, "But this can't be your full potential. It just barely surpasses genin level. Is this really all you have?"

Her body snapped taut, smile forgotten completely. "I'm sorry. I had a late shift last night. I didn't get much sleep." Kakashi was dubious of her excuse. First, he could see straight through her lie. Second, if sleep was an issue, she shouldn't have signed up for the shinobi life.

However, he'd play along. He needed time to figure her out, anyways. "That's fine. Go home and get some rest. Meet me here at the same time tomorrow." With an agreeable smile and salute, he vanished in a puff of smoke.

Sakura, on the contrary, tried her best not to stomp all the way home.

On the other hand, her separate identity stomped liberally. _Ass-hat. I'll show him next time. I'll fucking kill that bastard._

The overabundance of cursing agitated Sakura, prompting her to begin talking aloud to herself. "You're- you- just- you're-" She spluttered, searching for the right word to describe the crazy phenomena dwelling in her head. "You're..."

_Passionate_? The girl chirped, smiling widely.

"_No!_" Sakura snapped. "You're out of control!"

Her inner's face dropped and she said darkly, _no. I'm not out of control. _Kurama _is out of control, but _I _am passionate. Don't toss me into the same group as _that _monster- the only way Naruto will ever get a hold of him is by proving he _can _control him. You already have control over me, you just refuse to use me._

Anxiety swept through the pinkette. "You're a monster. You're completely unnatural. I will _never _let you out."

_How many more ways can I explain that I _am _you, Sakura? When you call me a monster, you call yourself a monster. I'm pulling my hair out here, trying to get through to you. You're a fake. A _fake_._

Sakura swallowed.

_And I'm the real thing. _

A lump swelled in her throat, but the girl continued on menacingly, biting caustically where it hurt the most.

_How can you be ok with everybody thinking you're just a mediocre kunoichi? _Her Inner was growing more furious by the second. _Is it worth it? Would you _really _rather be second-rate, just for a pretty personality? _

"Shut up," Sakura whimpered, shaking her head. It only made her shadow angrier.

_You're never going to be the sweet little princess you want to be. And as long as you're trying, you'll never reach your full potential. You'll die a weak, sad wretch if you keep living this damned lie._

"_SHUT UP!_"Sakura screeched, throwing the closest object she could reach. The vase shattered to pieces and left dark marks on her beige bedroom wall, but the silence that ensued was worth it.

* * *

This time he could tell she hadn't slept. Dark circles rimmed her normally vibrant green eyes. They were a dull, listless shade of swampy green today.

Their following spar mirrored her utter exhaustion. His face straight and lips (even though she couldn't see it) thin, he grabbed her foot mid-air and grounded both of them. "I thought I sent you home to get sleep. This is considered insubordination, you know."

She looked at him tiredly, sighing deeply and facing away from him. "I'm sorry." But she said nothing else. No excuse, no rambling, spluttering, nothing.

"Go home. Sleep. Tomorrow, same time."

For four days, she came back, looking worse for wear each time.

"You're being sloppy, Sakura. This is unacceptable. What's going on?"

She didn't respond, only breathed quietly.

"I've been letting you off easy, but I know you're holding back. Why?"

That seemed to wake her out of her hypnosis. "What is it with you and Tsunade? Why is it that I have to be holding back? Am I not allowed to just _suck_? You seemed to be under that impression when I was actually under your authority with Naruto and Sasuke. Now that I'm training with you, you feel entitled to spell it out for me? Since you can't focus on anybody else, you're forced to take out your perfectionism on me?"

He was taken aback. He'd seen Sakura snap at Naruto in irritation before, but the underlying tone of hostility had never reared its ugly head.

Sakura exhaled, passing her hands over her face. "Forget it. I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of that." Biting her lip, she asked timidly, "can I just have a few days off? Things just haven't been going well."

Kakashi's eye gazed at her evenly, expressionless, before he shrugged. "You're loss. See you in three days."

They met again after the allotted time, Sakura appearing slightly more put together. Still, she hadn't improved.

Shaking his head, he began to voice his opinion again, only to be cut off by her stumbling to interrupt him.

"I am," the confession tumbled out. She rushed to explain, fumbling over her words. "I am holding back." And then she bit her bottom lip and couldn't meet his eye.

His eyebrows creased. "Why?"

She repeatedly crossed and uncrossed her hands, squeezing tighter and tighter each time before finally settling with a soft, "I can't do it." Her nails were digging into her knuckles, which were turning white under the pressure. When she eased off, there were crescent marks adorning the skin over her bones.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," in a fit of good camaraderie, he smiled. "You can't kill me." Sakura shot him a nasty look, and he resumed in all seriousness. "Sakura, don't hold back."

Her breath left her in a quiet gust, and she shook her head. "It's not that easy." Without further explanation, she vanished in a smoke of petals; the fleeting glimpse of her face that Kakashi caught looked thoroughly put-out.

He had read all about the "life-form" dwelling in Sakura, but he had to keep that knowledge to himself. Honestly, though, there hadn't been enough information anyways for him to even know how to approach Sakura about it. He was absolutely sure "hey Sakura-chan, let's talk about that voice inside your head," probably wouldn't go off too well.

But now his interest was piqued. He did, after all, enjoy a good challenge.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

a/n: TADA! This first chapter was originally intended to be three separate chapters. It was not working out. So bam, all in one, WAHOOO! (Also, I'm not sure how long this fic will be. My plot outline says about 8, but at the rate this is going, maybe 3. LOL)

I reread the first half for mistakes, but I haven't read the second half thoroughly, so I apologize for any errors. I'm excited for this fic! There will be, er, mature content, which I am, er, not experienced at writing, so... please be kind to me. LOL. I'm not sure how graphic I'll get. Aaah well, we'll see when we get there. You should see my plot outline. It's all over the place, LOL.

Just so you all know, I've got lots of tests coming up, so I won't be speed-updating. :P But hold onto your hats! :D I'm rather determined to finish this fic. This idea has been sitting in my head for almost a year, and I'm actually rather pleased with how it's coming out so far. Of course, I can't speak for the next few days, weeks, months...

Anyhow, thank you all so much for reading! Reviews are much appreciated!


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